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    Afghanistan, Hurricane Ida drew viewers; Nielsen weekly recap

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1127 Views
    In this image provided by the U.S. Army, paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, and others, prepare to board a C-17 cargo plane at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021. (Master Sgt. Alexander Burnett/U.S. Army via AP)

    By Lynn Elber, Television Writer

    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    The U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan and fearsome Hurricane Ida drew viewers to cable channels that focused on the unfolding events.

    Fox News Channel had the lion's share of the most-watched cable shows last week, 19 of the top 20, according to Nielsen figures out Tuesday. MSNBC got a less dramatic ratings bump from the prior week.

    Last week's coverage of the removal of U.S. citizens and Afghans at risk included a devastating airport suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 160 Afghans. The evacuation ended Monday.

    The Weather Channel's audience grew as Ida barreled toward the Gulf Coast. The channel's ratings among young adult viewers increased by 38% last week over the same period in 2020.

    As Ida made landfall in Louisiana last Sunday, Weather Channel was the most-watched on cable among viewers 25 to 54.

    The destructive hurricane cost lives and left more than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi without power.

    Fox News improved its performance from the previous week when it topped all broadcast and cable outlets. But NBC, on the strength of its top-rated "America's Got Talent" and football broadcasts, was the most-watched network.

    NBC averaged 3.41 million viewers last week. CBS had 2.71 million, ABC had 2.64 million, Fox had 1.41 million, Ion Television had 1.13 million, Univision had 1.38 million and Telemundo had 980,000.

    Fox News Channel lead among cable outlets with an average 3.1 million viewers. MSNBC had 1.38 million, ESPN had 1.25 million, HGTV had 1.15 million and CNN had 985,000.

    ABC's "World News Tonight" led the evening news ratings race, with an average of 8.1 million viewers last week. NBC's "Nightly News" was second with 6.9 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 4.7 million.

    For the week of Aug. 23-29, the 20 most-watched programs, their networks and viewerships:

    1. "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday), NBC, 6.81 million.
    2. "60 Minutes Presents," CBS, 6.75 million.
    3. "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday), NBC, 5.79 million.
    4. "The Five" (Thursday), Fox News Channel, 5.85 million.
    5. "Hannity" (Thursday), Fox News Channel, 5.45 million.
    6. NFL Pre-season: Cleveland at Atlanta, NBC, 5.1 million.
    7. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" (Thursday), Fox News Channel, 4.99 million.
    8. "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 4.76 million.
    9. "Celebrity Family Feud," ABC. 4.56 million.
    10. "Special Report with Bret Baier" (Tuesday), Fox News Channel, 4.24 million.
    11. "The Five" (Tuesday), Fox News Channel, 4.17 million.
    12. "Big Brother" (Sunday), CBS, 4.11 million.
    13. "The Chase," ABC, 3.98 million.
    14. "Big Brother" (Thursday), 3.97 million.
    15. "NASCAR Cup Series Race," NBC, 3.93 million.
    16. "Big Brother" (Wednesday), CBS, 3.8 million.
    17. "The Ingraham Angle" (Thursday), Fox News Channel, 3.75 million.
    18. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" (Wednesday), Fox News Channel, 3.71 million.
    19. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" (Monday), Fox News Channel, 3.7 million.
    20. "The Five" (Friday), Fox News Channel, 3.69 million.

    Tags:AfghanistanFox NewsHurricane IdaNBCNielsen



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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